Chapters (52)
- Copyright
- Dedication
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Acknowledgments
- Read More from the Market of Monsters Series
- More Books from HMH Teen
- About the Author
- Connect with HMH on Social Media
Finally, his finger rose, hovering above the Send button. He held Nita’s gaze for a moment, and she saw the fear and guilt battling there together for a moment before the resolve won out and he pressed the button.
She let out a breath as he put the first nail in INHUP’s coffin.
Twenty-One
THEY SAT TOGETHER for a little while, backs against the concrete barrier as Kovit tried to gather himself, wiping his eyes ferociously, as if he could wipe away all the evidence of his humanity. But the more he swiped at them, the redder they looked, and the more broken and human his face became.
Nita just sat next to him, quietly leaning against him for support while he put himself back together. There wasn’t much else she could do.
When he finally took a deep breath and stumbled to his feet, Nita rose with him.
“Ready to go back to the Airbnb?” she asked.
“Yeah.”
“I think both of us could use some sleep. We’ve had a long day, and the flight wasn’t ideal for rest. Things will look better once you’ve had a nap.”
He didn’t seem convinced. She linked her arm with his, just to feel his warmth and signal silently to him that she was there, she wasn’t going anywhere. He leaned in, almost as though he was using her as a crutch, even though he didn’t put any of his weight on her, and they headed back.
The return walk was tense. Kovit kept glancing nervously at people, as though expecting them to jump out at him at any moment. His eyes darted around with an almost manic fear in them, and he kept clenching and unclenching his hands.
“Relax,” Nita whispered to him as they crossed the bridge. “The post only just went up, most people won’t have seen it yet. And even if they did, no one would think to look for you here.”
He nodded sharply, but his body remained tense and concerned.
Just in case, though, she bought a pair of sunglasses for him at a stall. With them on, he blended in better, his ethnicity more ambiguous.
When they returned to the Airbnb, Nita double-bolted the door behind them, and Kovit finally let the tension drain from his body.
Fabricio was still tied up on the couch, and he looked up when they arrived, his hair mussed from the nap he presumably had while waiting for them. He tilted his head. “Can someone untie me so I can go to the bathroom?”
Kovit snapped his switchblade out and approached. To Fabricio’s credit, he didn’t flinch at the sight, despite everything that had happened to him. He held very still while Kovit cut the duct tape, his whole body tight with tension. Once he was free, he thanked Kovit, went over to the kitchen, put on the kettle, and then went to the bathroom.